The Taoiseach last night welcomed the IRA statement, even though it fell short of what the Government has been pressing the republican movement for in recent weeks.
While the Government and others had hoped for an IRA resumption of dialogue with the de Chastelain commission, the statement says only that this will happen "when we are satisfied that the peace process will be advanced by those discussions". Despite some disappointment in Government circles, Mr Ahern last night emphasised the positive aspects of the IRA statement, calling it "encouraging and positive".
Mr Ahern said he wanted to see engagement between the IRA and the de Chastelain commission as soon as possible. "It is now vital that everyone works to bring this about without delay."
The Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, also welcomed the IRA statement that it would allow further inspections of its arms dumps.
"For its part, the government is continuing to meet its commitments as agreed with the Irish Government to take the steps necessary for full implementation of the agreement by June 2001" he said. "In particular, since the IRA ceasefire, 31 security bases have been closed and 3,500 troops have returned to Britain."
Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams said the statement was "good news. It is the IRA keeping its commitments".
"It is, I think, a difficult thing for the IRA to do and it will cause some difficulties for some republicans." Mr Adams said the British government had yet to honour the commitments it had made in May.
Pro-agreement unionists gave the announcement a qualified welcome. Mr Michael McGimpsey said the IRA had made four promises in May. "So far they have delivered on two, they are now saying they are about to deliver on the third and I will wait and see them deliver on that and will welcome it when it happens," he said.
The Democratic Unionist Party said the IRA statement was `far too little, far too late."
Mr Nigel Dodds MLA said: "We are being asked to buy, for a second time, the same con trick that got Trimble through the Ulster Unionist Council last May."
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the anti-agreement Ulster Unionist MP, said "the mere reinspection of a few arms dumps in Kerry isn't going to build the confidence that the unionist community needs."
New supplies of arms rendered those dumps irrelevant and had been used in three recent murders, he said. "They aren't using the guns in Kerry, they are using the guns in Belfast."
Fine Gael and Labour last night welcomed the IRA statement.
Labour leader Mr Ruairi Quinn joined the call on the IRA "to resume full discussions with Gen John de Chastelain and the decommissioning body to ensure that the IRA meets all of its commitments under the Good Friday agreement."